Borne Again
by Karynakk
Summary: Anira is a Faerie whose sole purpose in life is to kill vampires and keep the humans safe. But when the Cullens move to her little town, she feels a strong - and familiar - attraction to them. Will she be able to carry out her duty? Or will she change sides? Better summary on the inside.
1. Get Me Out of This Mess

What else could possibly go wrong? Anira's life has been a complete disaster this past week, and obviously it's not going to give her a break any time soon. The local power plant almost had a meltdown, a bunch of stupid teenagers burnt down half of the forest she lives in, the government found out that she was living in an abandoned shed and threatened to move her into an orphanage, and worst of all, HER BOYFRIEND DUMPED HER. When she wakes up on the first school day after winter break with that same sinking feeling in her stomach, she knows something else will go wrong, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it would lead her on a path like this. A story of self-discovery, this anything-but-average teenager is forced to confront a past she never knew existed, survive an encounter with deadly yet somehow civilized vampires, and juggle a secret that no one can ever know, right in the middle of the worst week of her life.

Palo, Iowa wasn't supposed to be this unpredictable.

**Borne Again**

Chapter 1: Get me out of this mess

I opened my eyes groggily and groaned. My stomach was twisting and turning again, like it had almost every other day this past week. And almost every other day this past week, something had gone wrong. The first day had been the absolute worst though, in my opinion.

_Hey, Anira, I need to talk to you_, Nick, my boyfriend, had said. It was the last day of school before winter break, and we had just climbed off the bus to go home. I had looked at him and smiled, trying to ignore that gut-wrenching feeling I always got when something bad was going to happen. _I… Uh, I think we should just be friends. We just aren't very good together, you know? I hope you understand. It's nothing personal. We can still be friends though, right?_ I had agreed with a little too much enthusiasm.

The next day, after I had cried myself to sleep, I'd barely noticed that same feeling when I woke up- I thought it was a side effect from all the sobs- until late in the night when I caught a whiff of smoke and realized that my forest was burning. Apparently a group of teenagers had thought this was a good place for a bonfire to celebrate the week-long vacation. Why they had wanted to be outside in December was beyond me, but there they were, burning down the only thing that hid my house from view.

Then, of course, after the trees had been drastically thinned, the inevitable happened: I got a notice on my door saying that my house was on government property and I needed to go to court to get a real home under penalty of the law. Of course, as soon as I showed up and they realized I was only fifteen, they threatened to send me to an orphanage or foster home until I was legally old enough to live alone. I had two weeks to pick a foster home of my choice before they forced me into some rotten place with the other homeless kids.

If that wasn't enough to take in with all I had already been going through, the local power plant was in danger of having a meltdown, and I had to work there for days trying to calm everyone down and take control of the situation. By the time all the chaos was over, I had only three days left of my break to relax.

And of course relaxation was an impossibility with my home being threatened and my heart completely shattered in my chest.

Now it was the first day of the new semester, and I could tell that something else was going to go wrong. But what else could possibly go wrong?! After everything I'd been through in the past week, what else could go wrong?!

I sat up grudgingly and stretched my aching muscles. I wasn't used to sleeping so often. Usually I only had to sleep two or three times a week, but I was so upset during the break that I had actually slept every night. It wasn't natural.

After going to my closet and grabbing a dull green blouse and khakis, I went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. It wasn't a very big room, with only the bare necessities to keep it running: a refrigerator, a sink, a stove, and a little wooden table with one chair on either side. The refrigerator was actually pretty unnecessary at this time of year. Since my house had no heater or air conditioner, the food just adapted to whatever temperature it was outside, and since it had just snowed… Well, my food would be plenty cool without manmade appliances.

I knew perfectly well that not having a heater was strange and unthinkable to any of the humans around me. It was part of the reason why I had never invited anyone to my house. But to be perfectly honest, I liked my house without all those silly indulgences. I could really taste the fresh air when the musty air of a machine wasn't in the way, and besides, the thing would be unnecessary anyway. I couldn't feel temperatures. Well, I could feel when the weather changed, and I could tell when it was hot or cold, but I was never actually _affected_ by temperature. My skin was just the same 85˚ all the time.

I grabbed an apple from the fridge and went into the bathroom as I ate, my feet dragging a little as I walked. The bathroom was a little smaller than the kitchen, with a bath tub, a toilet, a sink, and a mirror. I lived in an extremely small house.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror without interest. Just a little over a week ago my eyes had been bright and shining with life. Now they were just a dull forest green, similar to my shirt color, with no emotions and no light. There were shadows under my eyelids that hadn't been there before. I may have been sleeping more than usual, but that certainly didn't mean I'd been sleeping _well._

My hair was an unkempt mess, knotted and tangled from the many days of neglect. I grabbed my brush from the sink now, not wanting to look like a zombie when I got on the bus to meet Nick. I couldn't let him know how much his decision had affected me. I had to suck it up and act like nothing had changed, as if it didn't matter in the slightest that he had broken my heart. It wasn't really his fault, I guess. He wasn't trying to be mean or anything. He just didn't think we were right for each other.

I sighed when I was finally done and watched the gossamer strands flow all the way down my legs, halting just below my knees. The name Rapunzel fluttered through my mind as I glanced back in the mirror. I was a strange sight to see, with flawless pale skin and pale hair that ran all the way down to my calves. Maybe that was why Nick had dumped me…

I shook the thought out of my head and checked my watch. 7:30. I still had 30 minutes before I had to be at the bus stop, and I was already set to leave. What was I supposed to do for 30 whole minutes?

My eyes brightened just slightly as an idea came into my head. I ran back into the kitchen to look out the windows at the surrounding forest- at least what was left of it. Was it safe? Would anybody really be out and about this early in the morning? Ordinarily I wouldn't be too worried about getting caught, but after those stupid teenagers had burned down the woods, I couldn't be too careful. The coast seemed clear, and that uncomfortable feeling in my stomach had subsided, for now, so maybe I could get some exercise in before I left.

Before I could change my mind, I reached behind me to reveal the crease in my shirt where I had installed the zipper. Very carefully, I pulled the zipper down until the hole was completely open and exhaled in relief as my wings slipped through the flap. I had been too preoccupied over my vacation to stretch out my wings, but now nobody was around, I could sense that it was safe, and I had 30 minutes of free time to kill. What better way to spend that time than to fly as fast as I could and just tune out the world for a few precious moments?

I fluttered my wings experimentally, smiling as my feet lifted off the ground. It felt so good to finally use them again! I shot out the back door after a short warm-up and let the world blur around me.

I thought about my past while I flew, all the memories I had before this week that didn't make me want to hide in bed all day. Before I had lived on Earth, I had grown up in a small planet called Avalon. I lived there for eight years, but then one day our Fairy Council had come to my house and asked my parents if they could send me to Earth. They sent different fairies to Earth every year to help the humans with their natural disasters and magical infestations, but only the ones with the best talents could go. I was honored to be a part of their program and left immediately. I had always admired the fairies that came to this planet, and I had hoped they would pick me, but I had also thought that my talent wasn't good enough. While some fairies could bend the elements or turn invisible, my only unique quality was my sense of danger. I knew when something bad would happen. I didn't know what it would be, but I always knew, and it had saved my people's lives many times. So they sent me here, to this tiny town of Palo, Iowa, where I could live safely undetected and help those in need.

Well, that plan was in the process of being uprooted and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. The officials had trusted me to keep our secret, and though nobody knew what I really was, the fact that they had found my house was enough to put us all in grave danger. Nobody could know we existed, humans and other mythical creatures alike. We could not be discovered. It was the law.

I slowed to a more human speed and dropped down to the ground when I heard a rustle in the bushes. A deer jumped out of nowhere and scampered across the path to disappear into the trees once again. That same uneasy feeling came back as I watched the creature, and I backed away on foot. Whatever that creature was running from had to be the danger I was to face today. I wasn't going to let it find me here, completely vulnerable and with no witnesses.

I opened my wings and fled back to the house.


	2. Sweet and Syrupy Surprises

Chapter 2: Sweet and Syrupy Surprises

When I finally reached my front door again, it was 7:50. I figured it was close enough to 8:00 that I could go to the bus stop. I didn't want to go too early, because that would signal to other teenagers that I had no life- which was, of course, completely true lately- and the last thing I wanted was a bad reputation. Or any reputation, for that matter.

Naturally I was the first one at the corner, even when I was only walking there by foot, so I sat down and waited for the other students to arrive.

I would have loved to fly to school every day, but somebody was bound to see me, and since that was out of the question, I was forced to either take the bus or learn how to drive, which wasn't going to happen with my lack of funds for a car. I really didn't mind so much though; I was used to it by now. The only downside to acting 'human' was the speed. I was just as fast as any other person around me on foot, but faeries could fly up to an average of 120 mph by wing. So going 35 mph on an overloaded school bus could get a little tedious after a while.

Finally I saw the other students walk across the street. Only three people shared my bus stop: a boy named Chris and two girls named Lily and Samantha. The girls were twins, and nobody else could seem to tell them apart, but with my supernatural eyesight, it was easy for me to identify the differences.

"Hey Anira," they said sweetly as they walked up. "We heard about you and Nick. We're so sorry! You two seemed so perfect together!" I tried to mask my grimace and smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I thought so too," I mumbled. "Well, there'll be other guys right?" They both smiled and nodded, seeming pleased that I had already 'gotten over' my crush. Chris just gave me a funny look before turning back to the twins.

"So, like I was saying," he said, "the car was totally totaled! You should have seen it. The guy in the back car was all scratched up and bloody, but the guy in the Volvo up front just seemed mad. He didn't have a hair out of place! He started cussing under his breath, and…" I sighed inwardly. This was the kind of chaos I had been sent here to prevent, and here I was sulking about my latest teenage drama. I had to whip myself into shape if I was going to stay on this planet. I was being entirely too self-centered. I could have easily stopped those cars from colliding, if I had known they were going to crash. "…he helped the other guy out though," I heard Chris finish. "I was amazed. I mean, honestly, I would never want to help the guy who totaled _my_ car." I pressed my lips together. Well, at least there were a few good humans in the world. I knew that most people would agree with Chris. It must have taken a lot of self-control for that man to help the injured one.

Just then, the bus drove up and opened its doors, letting us all in. I sat down in the first empty seat I could find and looked out the window glumly. Well, it was too late to help the victims of the car crash now. Back to sulking.

We passed the wreck area after a few minutes, and I saw what he meant. I saw an older-looking Toyota car with its front end crushed like an accordion, and a shiny silver Volvo with its back end looking just like it. There were two police cars and an ambulance there, with plenty of officials wandering around taking notes. There were two people in white coats loading a stretcher into the ambulance. The bus had slowed to a crawling speed to match the rest of the traffic, and I let my hearing range outward to see if I could make out what anyone was saying.

"Do you know what happened?" one of the policemen asked, pencil poised on paper as he looked at the other, seemingly unscathed victim. His back was turned towards me, so I couldn't tell if he was actually injured or not. The only thing that really stood out was his wild bronze hair.

"I think the man was talking on his cell phone and didn't realize traffic had stopped," the boy replied. "Other than that, I can't explain why he rear-ended me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't want to be late for school." I saw him walk towards a black car that was waiting for him and fidgeted uncomfortably. His voice was syrupy sweet, like honey. It was inhuman.

The bus sped up and he disappeared behind us.

I watched out the window for anything else that might seem unusual, feeling on edge after that little experience. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but my sense of danger was only getting stronger. Maybe he was a part of it?

The bus stopped to let a few more kids get on. I heard one person pass me, but the other one stopped just next to my seat. The twins giggled from a few places behind me.

"Uh, hey," Nick said, shifting his weight awkwardly. "Do you mind if I sit next to you? All the, uh, empty seats are taken." I smiled weakly and nodded, trying extremely hard to make the beating of my heart slow. It wasn't that he regretted anything. He just didn't have anywhere else to sit. "Thanks." He gave me a small smile and sat down, careful to keep a good two inches of space between us. The bus moved forward again.

We got to school around 8:25, which was about ten minutes later than we usually did. This only gave us five minutes before the bell rang for class to start. Ordinarily I would have hung out with Nick and his friends until I was practically late to homeroom, but under the circumstances, I was only too eager for us to part ways. I wasn't mad at him, but I could feel the broken beats of my heart quite clearly when he was around, and just needed some time alone to sort out my thoughts.

I walked into my chemistry classroom with plenty of time to spare and started shuffling through my notes. It was rather hard to put them in the correct order with how distracted I was, and I gave up as soon as I realized I could barely even read the words on the page. I scrubbed my eyes with the back of my fist, hoping nobody was paying any attention to me.

Just then, a wave of unbearably sweet aroma washed over me and I stiffened. Somewhere in my subconscious, I heard the bell ring.

"Okay class," our teacher said, "before we get started on today's lesson, I'd like to introduce our new student. Please welcome Miss Alice Cullen."


	3. Golden Eyes

Chapter 3: Golden Eyes

Vampires. So that was the danger I had sensed. It was easy enough to tell what she was, with the ghostly white skin and inhuman façade. This description was rather similar to that of a faerie, however, and this vampire could have easily passed for one if it weren't for the scent. Unlike other mythical creatures, faeries didn't have a scent. Werewolves smelled like animals, vampires smelled vaguely like candy, humans smelled like the blood running through their veins. Faeries smelled like the air they breathed. We were completely undetectable if you couldn't see us.

The one thing that confused me about this creature's appearance was her eyes; they weren't red like the other vampires', but golden. Why were her eyes such a strange color? And why was she letting her prey know she was there? Weren't vampires supposed to keep the secret from humans? They were bound to notice if she attacked one of their friends. And how could she resist the smell? I couldn't imagine how much self-control it took for her to stay in this room with all the pulses throbbing around her.

She smiled brightly at the class and walked over to the desk directly in front of me. Her movements were lithe and graceful, naturally, and she seemed completely relaxed. I had to know what this vampire was thinking.

One of the many useful abilities that came with being a faerie was that we could know the emotions of the people around us simply by changing eyelids. We had three different 'eye settings' that helped us understand them better.

The first set of eyelids let us see the aura, or overall personality, of a person; whoever we were watching would seemingly change into one color, on a scale of black to white. The lighter the color, the better the person, and the darker the color, the more wicked the person. The second set allowed us to see everyone's emotions; there were many different colors to show us what a person was feeling, and often those colors swirled together. It was quite convenient in situations like this, although it didn't really give me the answers to any of my questions. Just a better idea of what I was dealing with. The third set was just our natural eyelids, the kind that humans had.

I closed my lower lids and examined Alice again, careful and curious at the same time.

This vampire's aura was unusually light, which surprised me. Most vampires couldn't pull off any color other than a smoky gray, but this one had more of a calm morning sky-type color. It was unnerving. I had never encountered something like this before.

I switched to my second lids and began picking through her emotions, trying to pinpoint all the different colors I saw. The most dominant emotion I saw was a bright, almost neon pink, which meant she was excited. Excited about what? Hopefully just the first day of school, but I'd need to keep a lookout on that. There was also plenty of dull beige there as well, so she was relatively bored at the same time. Well, this was _school_, and I could imagine she already knew everything they had to teach. There was an orangey tint around the edges of her body as well, signaling that she had complete control of herself. So she wasn't on the hunt right now, and she didn't seem to have any particular need for these humans' blood. That was comforting.

I switched back to my normal vision and turned towards the teacher, satisfied that, at least for now, there was no danger here. But I would be keeping a close eye on our 'new student,' as well as any other vampires I might find lurking in the hallways.

The rest of chemistry class was relatively boring. Today was just a review day to get us warmed up for the rest of the semester, so I already knew the material. Even though the humans may have needed to brush up on the periodic table or scientific method, I didn't. Faeries had extremely acute senses and photographic memories, so it was unnecessary.

We weren't as sharp as vampires, unfortunately, but we had quite a few advantages that made up for that loss. For instance, we were much stronger than vampires. We gave everyone this absurd impression that we were small and weak and defenseless, when in reality, we were stronger than the average train. Our skin wasn't as tough as a vampire's, but it was more durable than a human's, and our strength made up for that flaw. Our lack of a scent and our ability to travel even quieter than a mouse made us extremely hard to track if you weren't a faerie yourself, and we could fly much faster than a vampire could run if we had to. On foot we were just as slow as humans, though, which made us more vulnerable.

Finally, the bell rang to let us out of first period. I sighed and pulled my things together to walk to my next class. I saw Alice give me a strange look as I walked by and smiled wryly. So I was an outcast in the fantasy world _and_ the human world.

My next class was Pre-Calculus. It was only a few doors down from chemistry, so naturally I was the first one there. I sat down in my seat and watched the door quietly, in case Alice came into this room as well. I never saw her walk in by the time the bell rang, but that didn't mean there wasn't a vampire in the room.

The teacher introduced her as Rosalie Hale. She was painstakingly beautiful, with long golden hair and an hourglass figure. But this one also had those strange golden eyes. She must have been connected to Alice Cullen somehow. How else could there be two vampires with irises I had never seen before in the same school? It couldn't be a coincidence.

I switched to my lower lids again and examined her aura. It wasn't quite as light as Alice's, but I could tell by the way she held herself as she sat down that she was a bit of a snob. It wasn't necessarily that she was a bad person, just that she thought a lot of herself.

Her emotions weren't the same as Alice's; I could see the dull beige swirling around again, but it was much more dominant, and there wasn't a trace of pink anywhere in her body. Instead, she had a dark blue mixed with the boredom, very subtle, but there nonetheless. This meant she was sad, but why? Ordinarily my first thought would be somebody picking on the new kid, but who would be brave enough to bully a vampire? And who in their right mind would bully _her_? The pretty ones never got bullied- usually- and even if the humans knew nothing about mythical creatures, their subconscious told them when danger was near. She also showed the same orangey tint, so she too was off the hunt. I didn't understand these immortals at all.

After that, I began to see vampires everywhere; not just the two girls, but males as well. Walking down the hallways like everyone else, working on their classwork like everyone else, talking to each other like everyone else. It was amazing how well they blended in, while at the same time sticking out, at this school. I had a big burly one named Emmett in my history class, and he seemed amused by all the little humans who were scared stiff of him. He was definitely one of the scarier ones, but his aura was just as light as the others'.

And they all had the same golden eyes.


	4. Confusions and Distractions

Chapter 4: Confusions and Distractions

The bell rang for lunch and I groaned quietly. Great, time to face Nick. I knew I could easily sit somewhere else, but then he would think I didn't want to be friends. And of course I wanted to be friends; I just… needed time to get over the whole break-up thing.

I left the gym locker room and walked down the hall, trying to distract myself by looking around for the vampires. Would they really come to the lunch room and eat something? Surely that would make them sick. None of them were in my gym class, so I couldn't follow one to see where they went. I would just have to watch and wait.

"Hello Anira," Vincent said cheerfully, stepping out of his art class to walk beside me. Vincent was a good friend of mine that had moved here from France a few years ago. He had light brown skin and black hair pulled back into various braids. He would've looked just like any other African-American from a distance, but the French accent was distinct when you actually talked to him. I found it quite comical. "They're having hot dogs today for lunch. Will you try one again?" I scrunched up my nose a little.

"Sorry Vincent," I replied. "After my reaction last time, I don't think that would be such a good idea." Naturally, all faeries were vegetarian; it was just part of our nature. It was physically impossible for us to digest meat. I couldn't tell this to my friends, of course, so I just said I was a vegetarian by choice. They were always teasing me about it, however, so I tried to impress them by eating the occasional hamburger. Only Nick and Vincent knew I threw up after every attempt.

"Good," Vincent said. "I don't like it when you get sick." Well, most of my friends teased me. Apparently Vincent thought it was nice that I was a vegetarian.

"Uh, thanks," I said distractedly, looking over at our usual table. Nick was already sitting there. "Me too." He noticed my change in mood.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

"What? Oh, yeah." I nodded. "I just, um…" I trailed off as I looked at Nick.

"Ah." I heard him sigh quietly. He knew about the break-up, and he didn't seem too happy about it for some reason. "We should probably get some food." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the lunch line, making me snap out of my haze. I smiled at him gratefully.

As we waited in line, I distracted myself again by looking for the vampires. I had caught just a whiff of that sugary-sweet smell as I walked in, so I knew they were here somewhere. Were they honestly going to buy human food?

I heard the tinkling laughter of the one named Alice and looked in the direction of the kitchen. Sure enough, there they were, all walking out of the check-out line together. I stopped breathing.

There were _nine_ of them. All different shapes and sizes, different smells, different _everything_ except the unnaturally pale skin. I was too far away to see their eyes, but I was positive they were all that same gold color.

As they sat down, I noticed the skinniest of the boys, the one with bronze hair, glance in my direction. I stiffened and looked away, searching for anything else that would hold my attention. I didn't know why, but I got this strange sense that I couldn't think about them with him around. It was as if my thoughts were no longer safe, like I was forced to hide even more than usual because of him… It was a silly thought, I had to admit, but my talent taught me to follow my instincts.

"Hey, isn't that the kid from the car crash?" I mumbled, not entirely able to keep from thinking about the new kids. Vincent looked over to the table I had indicated and shrugged.

"I don't know, we didn't pass the accident this morning." The line moved forward and the wall cut off my view.

After buying a salad and some apple juice, I walked reluctantly over to our table. Nick looked up when he heard me approach and smiled. My heart lurched.

"Hey. We were just talking about Anthony's birthday party last weekend." I sat down across from him and nodded, forcing a smile in return.

"I'm sure it was amazing. Sorry I wasn't able to come, but I had other things going on." A forest fire, an eviction notice, a nuclear meltdown, nothing unusual.

"Oh, it wasn't just amazing," Anthony said, planting his elbow down on the tabletop. "It was EPIC. Best birthday EVER. I see why girls call it sweet."

"Yeah, we would call it 'sweet sixteen' too, but that's just for chics," Jeremy, Nick's cousin, laughed. "We gotta come up with some other, awesomer name for it that's just for guys." He waggled his eyebrows at me. "Sorry Ann, off limits for you."

"It's _Anira_," I corrected, my tone a little snappy. I tried to mend my attitude. "My name is Anira, not 'Ann.'"

"Whatever," he said, waving it off. Vincent cleared his throat and touched my shoulder before I could get too angry.

"So, _Anira_, isn't your 'sweet-sixteen' coming up soon?" he asked. I forced back the annoyance and smiled slightly. I could always count on Vincent to keep conflict at bay.

"Just two more weeks. I can't wait." Two more weeks before my birthday, two more weeks before I was forced into a foster home, and two more weeks before I stopped aging.

It wasn't called 'sweet sixteen' for nothing.

Every faerie stopped aging at sixteen, temporarily. After that milestone, we had about five years to settle into our personalities and experiences, and whatever mindset we had grown into, whatever age we acted like on the inside, became the age we looked like on the outside. It was a gradual process, and some people looked sixteen forever, but most of us tended to age into our twenties or thirties or sometimes even forties. The way I was feeling right now had me convinced I would be one of those rare ninety-year-olds with too much trauma and stress in their life.

"Are you gonna throw a big party?" Nick asked curiously. He knew I wasn't a very social person. That was probably part of the reason why he dumped me.

"We'll see," I replied, hoping he didn't notice me flinch. "I've got a lot on my plate right now, so I might not have time to set one up." He nodded, his face unsurprised.

The boys merged back into their other conversation and left me to my thoughts. I glanced over at the table of vampires and grinned slyly when I saw the bronze-haired boy leave with one of the girls. As soon as he was out the door I switched my eyelids and examined the others' auras. They were various shades of gray, but they were all on the light side. There was one exception to their rainbow of grays, though: at the very back of the group was a young girl who I could hear laughing with Alice, and her aura was the brightest one I had ever seen. It was even brighter than most humans'. It shocked me. How could a vampire have such a bright aura?

I switched back to my normal vision and examined the girl. She was just a little taller than Alice, with long bronze curls flowing down her back. She seemed darker than the others, but that didn't make any sense. She was obviously one of them. She looked like them, for the most part, and from what I could hear, sounded like them as well. It must have been the lighting or something.

The bell rang for the end of lunch and I jumped up in relief. Time for fifth period, and time to get away from this awkward atmosphere.


	5. So Many Questions, So Little Time

Chapter 5: So Many Questions, So Little Time

My next class was English, the only subject I ever really had to pay attention to. It was unlikely we would have any homework on the first day back from winter break, however, so I figured I could get away with not listening for one day. I had too many other things on my mind. Why did I get that feeling of insecurity when I saw the bronze-haired boy? Why did that one girl with the long curly hair have such a bright aura? Did she really have darker skin than the other vampires? And why had such a large coven picked here of all places to live? Why were they putting themselves through school, where their prey could openly see them? And what made their eyes such a strange color?!

Before I could think over these questions too thoroughly, I noticed two of the vampires walk in. One of them was the bronze-haired boy.

'_Great_,' I thought, gritting my teeth. '_Now I can't think about anything that I need to think about._' The bell rang and I focused all my attention on the teacher. I took very careful, very detailed notes and analyzed everything he said. Anything to keep my mind from wandering in the wrong direction.

"I still don't understand how you managed to get in a car crash," the girl- who had been introduced as Isabella- whispered. "Aren't you supposed to be a master mind-reader or something?" The one who was apparently named Edward chuckled quietly.

"It wasn't my fault, love," he replied, luckily too focused on his conversation to pay any attention to me. "I was caught in traffic and the gentleman behind me happened to be on his cell phone. I couldn't have moved out of the way if I tried."

"But that was our most inconspicuous car!"

"That doesn't change the heaviness of the traffic. Don't worry, Bella, love, it'll be as good as new within the week." So he could read minds. That's why I felt so vulnerable around him. Now on to the next question: how had I known? Surely my talent wasn't that sensitive?

I heard Bella sigh and focused back on the lesson, not wanting them to know I had been eavesdropping.

When the bell finally rang, I was the first one out of my seat. I had actually learned something in class today, which I was glad about, but today's lesson hadn't given me any of the answers I wanted. I would need a safe place to sort out my thoughts to do that.

I looked back at the vampires one last time, made sure they were focused on something other than blood, and left.

My next class was environmental education, in a room at the very bottom of the school. The walls were lined with animal cages of all different shapes and sizes, rodents at one end, reptiles at another, and a giant bird cage in the middle of the room. There were two cats as well, roaming around aimlessly and rubbing against your legs whenever they had the chance. Naturally the smell was overpowering, but you got used to it after a while.

I walked into the room and smiled weakly at the teacher. The cats ran over to rub my legs.

"Hello Anira," he said, returning the smile. "I see the animals missed you during vacation."

"They do this to everyone," I mumbled, bending down to stroke the felines. It was true, they did do it to everyone, but they followed me around constantly. They could sense when a faerie was around, and they seemed to have a natural attraction to us. My teacher often joked that I was 'their favorite student.'

I walked over to my seat and the cats followed me eagerly, their little claws clicking against the marble floor. After I sat down, they jumped up on the desk beside me. Instead of begging for attention like they usually did, however, they just sat there and watched me with their big brown eyes. They could tell I was having a bad week.

"They don't do _that_ to everyone," my teacher said smugly.

There weren't any vampires in this class, but I couldn't blame them; animals were terrified of vampires, the exact opposite reaction of what they had for me, and the vampires probably weren't very fond of the animals either. This was a very good thing for me because I could think about them freely without worrying that the stupid mind-reader would hear me.

Okay, so here were the answers I needed: Why were their eyes golden? Why were they putting themselves out in the open? Why were their auras so light? How could they manage to live as such a large group? Was the one with the long curls different from the rest? Why were they living here? And one other question that was the most vital of all: had the mind reader seen or heard anything that might make _me _seem suspicious? I jotted everything down in my journal for future reference. It was of the utmost importance that I keep my heritage a secret. I couldn't let them know anything, none of my talents, none of my abnormalities; I couldn't even let them realize that _I _knew _their_ secret.

What had I learned about them so far? Obviously that they were nicer than the other, normal vampires. Otherwise their auras wouldn't have been so light. I knew that their eyes were different, so maybe it was a status symbol? Were they royalty? I'd need to add that to my list of questions. The one named Edward could read minds, and it looked like his mate was Bella, from the way he looked at her. I knew they were much more controlled than the others, if they could manage to live amongst humans freely without hunting them. Even so, they could still be a threat. I would have to observe their behavior in the next few days to see what they did. Oh, but maybe they did their hunting at night, when everyone was vulnerable! Could I risk following them then as well?...

One of the cats rubbed against my hand and purred loudly, making the pencil fall out of my hands. I laughed quietly, a short, stressed laugh, and patted his head.

"Sorry Smokey," I whispered. "I know you don't like it when I'm upset." He looked at me with his huge innocent eyes and I could almost picture him nodding in agreement. Well, maybe I would get the nerve to talk to one of the vampires before the end of the school day, to see just how much of a threat they really were. I had worried the cats enough for now.

The bell finally rang and I jumped up to leave. The cats watched as I rushed out the door and down the hall, their tails twitching behind them.

My next class was art. I didn't know if any of the vampires would be in this class, since it was an elective, but they had to choose something to fill the empty spaces in their schedule. Maybe I would get lucky.

I walked into the art room and scanned the class for any of the immortals. I smiled a little smugly when I recognized the long curly bronze hair from the lunch room and walked tentatively over to the table.

"Uh, hi," I said politely, stepping into her line of vision. She looked up and gave me a dazzling smile. "You're new here right?" She nodded. "What's your name?"

"I'm Renesmee," she replied. "Renesmee Cullen."


	6. A Whole New Kind of Blurry

Chapter 6: A Whole New Kind of Blurry

"I'm Anira," I said, trying to mimic her smile. "Anira DeCaprio." I put my arm down on the desk beside hers casually, glancing to see if she was any tanner than me. To my utter surprise, she was. She was still a lot paler than the humans around us, but she was definitely darker than I was. Which meant she was darker than her vampire friends too.

"DeCaprio?" she asked, her smile widening. "You mean like the famous celebrity?" I frowned.

"Yes, that's how you say it. I'm not related to him in any way though." Not unless he was a faerie too.

"That's too bad."

"It is, isn't it." This conversation wasn't getting me anywhere. I would need to dig a little deeper if I were to get any answers. "So, um, what brings you to Palo? Where did you come from?" Her expression turned thoughtful.

"We moved here from Forks, Washington," she replied. "Maybe you've heard of it? My parents just decided it was time for a change of scenery, so we moved down here."

"Was Forks too big for you then?" I asked, amused. Yes, I had heard of that little city. It was only a few people bigger than this one.

She laughed. "Sure, you could say that," she agreed. "No, my parents just like small towns. They think it's homey." Well, it would make sense that they liked small towns. There were fewer witnesses.

"Do they move around because of their job or something?"

"No. Car… My dad is a doctor." I looked at her in surprise. Her father was a _doctor_? I had never heard of such a thing. How could a vampire have such self-control?

"Really? You must make a lot of money then," I said, trying to mask my shock. Anybody's dad could be a doctor. I wasn't supposed to know she was a vampire. But _was_ she a vampire? Her skin color certainly proved her different from the rest. I knew other vampires could have darker skin as well, but it was still… chalky, somehow. It had no color to it. Her skin looked real, and pink, and... almost human.

"Yeah, I guess." She shrugged. I glanced up into her eyes and stifled a gasp. They were _brown_. She couldn't be a vampire! But her overall features, her inhuman beauty, the grace when she moved, they all said otherwise! How could she look like a vampire and a human at the same time? Could that be her talent? To look more human than the rest?

"Do I have something in my teeth?" she asked, noticing the way I was staring at her. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was terribly confused.

"No, no, you're fine," I mumbled. "Sorry, I just… Nevermind. Who are all the people in your family? What do they do for a living, or what grade are they in?"

"Um, well, most of my family was adopted by my parents, Carlisle and Esme. Jasper and Rosalie Hale are siblings, Edward and Emmett are my brothers, and Alice and Bella are sisters. We've been one big happy family for about sixteen years now." So that was the story they were telling everyone. They had to be pretty serious about staying here if they made up a story about their origins. "Emmett and Rosalie are juniors, Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jasper are all sophomores, and I'm the only freshman." She paused and made a face. "Ca… Dad is a doctor, like I said, and Mom is an architectural designer." I tried to wrap my head around this huge task ahead of me. I wanted more than anything to ask her why she was really here, why she wasn't attacking the humans around her, but that would be stupid. I couldn't let them know I knew about them. It would endanger my life, and probably theirs as well.

"So, tell me a little bit about you," Renesmee said, turning sideways to face me. I looked at her blankly. Nobody had ever asked me about my life before. "Do you have any siblings? What jobs do your parents have? How old are you?" I gathered my thoughts.

"No, I don't have any siblings," I said. "I'm an only child." A very lonely child. "My parents travel a lot, so I actually spend a lot of time at home alone. My dad's in the military, so he can't really come home very often, and my mom's a pilot, so naturally she's always on the run. They mail me some of the money every month though, so I can pay the taxes and everything." Well, part of that story was true; I got a pretty decently-sized check from the faerie court every month to pay for whatever food I might need and whatever taxes I might need to pay. My parents didn't even live on the same planet as me, however, and since no teenager was supposed to live alone, I had to pretend they 'came home' every once in a while.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, wrapping her arms around me and shocking me out of my thoughts. This girl obviously didn't know I was the freak of the school. She was _hugging_ me?

"Um, it's no big deal really," I gasped, feeling embarrassed. "I'm used to it. It's not so bad." Jeez, her skin was hot! There was no way she could be a vampire. But if she wasn't a vampire, then what was she?

She pulled away, looking concerned.

"Okay," she said slowly. "If you say so. But if you ever feel lonely, you're welcome to come crash at my house." Ah, so _that_ was their game. Befriend a lonely, innocent human, invite them over to their house, and feed when nobody was around to watch. What a sneaky, dirty trick.

"Thanks," I said a little bitterly. I tried using a gentler tone. "I don't really think I have time for any sleepovers right now. I've got too much on my mind."

"Well the offer's always open." She gave me an encouraging smile and turned back to face the teacher, signaling the end of our conversation.

Finally, school was over. I knew it would have been a long day anyway, what with the stress of my life so far, but the vampires had doubled its length. I wouldn't be able to handle this much stress for long; someday I was going to crack. I had to get rid of all these problems as soon as possible, starting with the vampires.

I turned the hall corner and found all the vampires whispering together, some looking worried, others confused. I realized that Edward was looking right at me and I let my mind go blank. He wasn't getting any information from me, whatever they were talking about.

I paid very careful attention to the path in front of me, looking down at my shoes as I walked. I stayed that way long after I had passed him, long after I had turned the corner, until I was sure he was thinking about something else. I couldn't give my position away.

"Hello Anira," Vincent said, making me nearly jump out of my shoes.

"Jeez, Vincent, you scared me!" I hissed, clutching at my speeding heart.

"Sorry," he replied, smirking. "You seem a bit on edge today. I thought I would come cheer you up."

"That's nice, Vincent, but I don't think I can really be 'cheered up' right now."

"But you don't even know what I was going to say!"

"Uh…" I sighed. I was being terribly rude. It was the least I could do to listen to whatever he wanted to tell me. "Fine, go ahead. What'll cheer me up today?"

"Well, I heard about the forest fire near your house, and I know how much you like nature, so I just thought maybe you'd want to replant some of the trees." He pulled something out of his backpack and plopped it into my outstretched palm. It was a bag of seeds. "I know it isn't much, but maybe the squirrels will do the rest?" I smiled sadly.

"Thanks Vincent," I said, giving him a one-armed hug. "You're right; this does make me feel better." I couldn't tell him that the seeds wouldn't help. I couldn't say that it was pointless to try. I wanted to fix the forest, and I knew nature would recover eventually, but the government had already found my house. I had nowhere left to hide, and no amount of baby trees could fix that.

I packed up my backpack in a rush and hurried out to the parking lot, where the school bus was waiting. While I was running, I saw two of the vampires whispering near the trees. It was Edward and Alice.

"All I heard was the word vampires," Edward muttered, his eyes steely. "I don't know how, but somebody has already figured out who we are."

"Maybe it's not a human?" Alice suggested, looking irritated. "I mean, I can't see _anything_ that's going to happen after this moment right now. And it's not Renesmee or Jacob; this is another kind of blurry." I gritted my teeth.

"Regardless, we need to speak with Carlisle. Anybody who knows our secret is a threat. We're going to have to leave, and soon." What? No! They couldn't leave! I still had so many questions, and I didn't know if they were dangerous or not yet! I couldn't let them get away if human lives were at stake! There was only one thing I could do.

I was going to have to pay a little surprise visit to the Cullen residence.


	7. Preparations

Chapter 7: Preparations

I snuck around the bus cautiously, careful to stay out of sight of the vampires. They were all standing together now, their heads bent together and their voices buzzing intensely. My hiding place was too far away for me to hear what they were saying, but they all seemed pretty concerned.

The bus rumbled to life and began moving forward, forcing me to find another place to spy on the new kids. I ran back towards the school in a rush, trying to look as if I had forgotten something there, and jumped into the brush when I was sure nobody was looking. I crept back towards the group quietly, not disturbing a single leaf on the ground.

"Carlisle's here," I heard the mind-reader say. "Rose, Emmett, you stay and look out for anyone suspicious. I think I hear somebody eavesdropping on us, and chances are it's the one I heard earlier." What a strange thing to say; if he knew I was eavesdropping, why would he tell them to stay here? Unless it was some sort of trap. Or maybe they were just trying to scare me away? Well, whatever the case, I wasn't safe here.

I peered out at the group just in time to see Edward smile.

"Whoever it is, she's incredibly smart." How did he know I was a girl? I could be a guy too. He hadn't seen me yet, as far as he knew.

I turned to look at the blonde, whose nostrils were flaring as she tried to catch my scent, her body rigid as she listened for clues. I smiled wryly. Good luck with that.

"She's in the bushes somewhere," Edward whispered. "Do with that what you will." I realized he would have seen what I saw in my head and cursed silently. I couldn't pay attention to anything I was looking at with him around.

I hurried through the greenery quickly, not making a sound, and stopped just next to the street, making sure I was still hidden. Then, I let my instincts guide me. I didn't think about where I was, or what I was doing. I didn't even think about what I saw in front of me. My mind was completely blank, a GPS intent on following that sleek black car.

The engine revved. I opened my wings. And we both shot forward.

I flew up as high as I dared, so high that I would look like nothing more than a bird even to the vampire's superior eyesight, while at the same time still able to keep track of their vehicle. I followed them for a long time, watching them twist and turn down the road three times as fast as the speed limit allowed. We finally reached their lair after ten minutes.

The whole house was painted white, and from what I could tell, one of the walls was entirely made of glass. I couldn't see inside, but I didn't need to; I had all the information I needed. I had followed them home, I would remember the way, I knew what their house looked like. Now all I had to do was wait until nightfall.

I fled towards my house before the vampires could notice anything and started to think of a plan. So, now I knew where they lived. What next? When would it be safe to leave without being seen? When would it be pertinent? I couldn't trust the vampires alone, but I had to go home and prepare if I was going to get any answers. I'd just have to be quick about it and hope nobody had been hurt in my absence.

I flew into my bedroom and flung open my closet door. Hanging in the far back corner was a black shirt, black pants, and a dark indigo shoulder bag. I only used this set of clothes for 'special occasions,' and this definitely fit in that category. The term ninja fluttered through my mind and I smiled grimly. Yes, I would look like a ninja, but I would need to act like one too. I could not be seen, or heard, or noticed in any way.

After I changed, I glided over to my dresser and dug through my bottom drawer. I picked out a pocket knife, a special-effects can that produced fog when opened, and a small bottle of perfume that the Council had been nice enough to give to me in case of emergencies. The perfume was synthetic blood, created to help mask our identity. It was the most important precaution to keeping the secret hidden. The can of fog was simply to help me get away in case my position was compromised, and the knife… well, it helped me feel protected, even if it wouldn't actually help.

I put the supplies in my bag and glanced out the window to see if it was dark enough to leave yet. I still had at least an hour before it was safe.

"Pixie Dust," I muttered. "They'd better not be hungry today." I stood up stiffly and went out into the kitchen, grabbing my math homework on the way. Well, while I was waiting, I might as well do something productive to keep from failing out of school. It wouldn't take long to finish, with my memory, but it was better than nothing.

The math problems took about fifteen minutes of my time, and since that was my only homework for the day, I had 45 minutes of free time left. I went over to my refrigerator and pulled a peach out, biting into the soft flesh absently. It was unnecessary; I really only had to eat once a day, not three times like the humans, and I already ate breakfast and lunch, but there was really nothing else I could do. At the very least it would help me keep my strength when I finally encountered the vampires again.

I ate slowly, careful to get every morsel from the pit, and glanced at the clock again when I couldn't find another piece of fruit on it. 30 minutes left.

I groaned and leaned back against my chair. Why couldn't the sun go down faster? Even with all the clouds, it was still too light out! I had to stay here.

Just then, my doorbell rang, making me nearly jump out of my skin. Who in their right mind would be visiting me right now? It was just before dark, after all, and I didn't really have any friends anyway.

"Anira?" a muffled voice called from the door. "Are you in there?" It was Vincent.

"Uh, yeah! One second!" I called back, still completely shocked. How had he figured out where I lived? I'd never invited anyone over here before. The most he knew was that I 'lived near the forest.' Weren't there other houses near here as well?

I opened the door and smiled weakly at my friend, still puzzling over how, and why, he was here. Obviously he noticed my confusion.

"Um, Chris mentioned he's seen you going into the forest after the bus drops you off," he stuttered, "so I followed the trail you've worn through. I hope that isn't creepy." He paused, lost in his thoughts. "It's so strange, the trail disappeared about halfway through…"

"Was there a reason you wanted to visit?" I asked quickly, not wanting him to think about it too much. It was unlikely he would jump to the conclusion that I could fly, but it made me nervous that he had noticed something so small.

"Oh, right, I was just wondering if, uh, you wanted me to help you plant those seeds I gave you earlier? There are a lot in the bag, so I just thought… maybe…" He trailed off and made a face, as if he were mad.

"I'd love it," I said, forcing a smile. Why was he wearing that strange expression? "Come on, I'll get the seeds and we can go outside right now." I ran into my bedroom and searched through my bag for the little brown sack. When I came back out, Vincent was standing in my make-shift kitchen.

"So, this is your house?" He shivered. "Aye, it's just as cold in here as it is out there!" He eyed my outfit suspiciously, and I realized I wasn't wearing a coat like a sane person would be. "Aren't you cold?"

"Uh, I was cold, but I was wearing my coat for so long that I got hot. But you're right, it is getting cold again. I'll go put it back on," I said hurriedly, feeling a little scrambled. I hadn't expected any visitors, ever, so Vincent had caught me entirely off-guard.

After I got my coat, we went out into the sharp winter air and started planting the seeds. I knew it was probably futile to do this now, just after Christmas break, but I wasn't going to disappoint Vincent after he went through all this trouble just to find my house. We made sure to spread them far apart, in places where we thought it would be good for a tree to grow. Pretty soon the bag was completely empty and we were walking back to my little cottage.

"Um, Vincent, there's something I need to tell you… about where I live…" I tried to find a way to explain it without making it sound too terrible, but there wasn't a single description that would make my eviction notice sound _good_. I remained silent for quite a few minutes.

"Go on," he encouraged, watching me serenely. I opened my mouth, and sighed.

"Just don't tell anyone about it, okay?" I asked, looking down. "I'm already the crazy girl with the pale skin and the long hair. Nobody needs to know I live in the forest too." He laughed.

"Your secret is safe with me." I glanced at him quickly, terrified that there might be a double meaning to his words, but he was only talking about my house. He was still entirely oblivious when it came to my humanity, or lack of it.

"Thanks for helping me, Vincent," I whispered, giving him a hug. "It means a lot." He hugged me back for a moment, and when I pulled away, he was smiling.

"It was nothing," he said giddily. "Um, I have to go. My parents will be making supper soon." I smiled back slightly and watched him turn and go in wonder. My heart jerked forward once in my chest before resuming its usual rhythm.

"Bye," I murmured. Then I went back inside, a little dazed, and looked up at the clock. We had spent 45 minutes outside. It was time to leave.

I blinked once, getting my bearings, and shrugged the heavy coat from off my shoulders. I couldn't have extra weight holding me down on a night like this.

After glancing in my shoulder bag one last time to make sure my things were there, I pulled back the flap in my shirt, opened my wings, and shot into the air.


	8. Eavesdropping

Chapter 8: Eavesdropping

I finally reached the Cullen house about fifteen minutes later. I didn't want to fly as fast in the dark, so naturally it took a little longer than the first time I came here, but I wasn't happy about it. I landed at the edge of a large creek and snuck up to the nearest window. Inside I could make out the voices of several worried vampires.

"What should we do?" I heard one of them ask quietly. "Nobody has ever discovered us this quickly before, and certainly none of you appear to have done anything wrong. How could they have found out?"

"From what it sounds like to me, this girl already knew about our existence," the mind reader replied. I cringed, hoping he was too involved with his own conversation to notice I was there. "There wasn't a doubt in her head that she might have been wrong. And the way she followed us around after school, the way she thought through every action, seems like maybe she's had experience with our kind. She analyzed everything we said, and she noticed things that nobody else would notice." I slowly lifted my head and risked a glance through the window. They were all sitting together in a large white living room, every one of them frozen in stress. I noticed that Renesmee wasn't present, and there were two other vampires in the room with the others. Naturally they also had golden eyes.

"She masked her scent," the blonde one muttered. "I don't know how she did it, but I couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary when she was eavesdropping."

"Yes, she seemed to have thought of that too," Edward murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "She seemed to know that you wouldn't be able to smell her. That's probably why she was brave enough to hide in the bushes. But she was still cautious; she knows about our sharpened senses, and our blinding speed, and our hidden strength…" He paused, looking as if there were something else he had to say, but really didn't want to say it. "And she knows I can read minds." That got a big response.

"What?" The new lady- a vampire with short curly brown hair- said, looking at the boy in alarm. "That's not possible! Even if she does know about vampires, how could she have discovered that so quickly?"

"Fascinating," the man next to her said, his eyes bright with curiosity and concern at the same time. "I wonder if she is some form of vampire herself? Maybe she has a talent similar to Eleazer's?"

"This is no vampire," Alice growled from the edge of the couch, her forefingers at her temples. "This is something else entirely."

"We'll have to move away!" the brunette woman groaned. "I hate to make everyone leave again, but I will not lose any of my family."

"I wish we could investigate this further," the blonde man sighed, "but under the circumstances, I agree. We will have to leave town."

"Wait," Bella said, holding up her hand. "Shouldn't we talk to Jacob and Renesmee about this? They deserve to have a say in this too."

"Bella's right," the brunette said. "Let's wait until Nessie and Jacob come back from their hunt to make the final decision." At the sound of these words I felt my stomach churn in utter terror; So Renesmee and some other blood-sucker named Jacob were hunting. I shouldn't have waited so long to come. Now some innocent human was going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I felt nauseous.

"I don't like it," Emmett muttered, smacking his fist into his palm. "We shouldn't run away. Let's find the girl and take her down!" I grimaced; the last thing I wanted to do was fight with them.

"That would just make a scene," the boy- who I believed was named Jasper- reasoned. "We can't just fight with someone in the middle of school property. That would give us away. And what are the chances that we'll get her alone if she knows what we are?"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," Rosalie said, motioning for everyone to lower their voices. "Stop talking for a second." The room was silent. "Do you hear that?" I saw them all look around in surprise, and I glanced around as well, wondering what she could possibly be talking about. The only thing I heard was the even thumping of my heart.

I froze.

"Is that… is that a heartbeat?" The blonde man asked in shock. I glanced at the mind reader and saw that he had gone rigid. He was staring straight ahead, not even bothering to look for the window where I was watching. He knew I couldn't flee, not without the answers I was seeking. I knew I was trapped, unable to run for fear of putting human lives in danger. No, I had to stay here and take the consequence.

I sighed and crept away from the window, not wanting them to see me just yet. After I was out of sight, I straightened up and stretched my back. Then I took a deep breath, sucked in my fear, and did what was probably the craziest thing I would ever do: I walked up to the front door, and knocked.

The house was absolutely silent, not a noise, not a breath. I didn't know how long I stood there, but eventually, I heard the sound of feet against wood as someone came to answer the door. It swung open slowly and I looked wearily up into the face of the unfamiliar male.

"Hello," he said, his expression still blank with shock. I smiled nervously up at him.

"Hello," I replied. "I heard you were new in town and I thought I would stop by and say welcome." At 11:00 at night… Yeah, they probably knew it was me, but I might as well play my part. The least I could do was act polite after getting caught eavesdropping… Twice.

"Thank you," he said, starting to get over his trance. "Won't you come in?" I nodded and stepped inside, feeling slightly suicidal. Well, this was the only way for me to get my answers. If I got killed in the process, at least I would go down doing my job instead of sulking about a lost love.

And I thought my life couldn't get any worse.


	9. Meet the Cullens

Chapter 9: Meet the Cullens

"Can I get you anything?" the brunette woman asked, stepping closer to me curiously. I felt my hand squeeze something inside my bag from the tension and shook my head. The scent of my perfume drifted from the fabric and coated my body in less than a second.

"No thank you," I replied. What could she have gotten me? Surely these vampires wouldn't store food in their house?

"It's her," I heard Edward growl from the couch. I frowned. This was definitely going to be my last day of this life.

"Why don't you come sit with us?" the blonde man asked, motioning towards the living room area. I grimaced and followed him to one of the chairs. Everyone I had met at school gave me hostile glares.

"I'm Esme, and this is Carlisle," the woman said. Everyone turned to look at her. "There's no need to make her feel uncomfortable," she added a little defensively.

"So, you are the one who's been spying on my family," Carlisle said, watching me in fascination. "Tell me, how is it that you know about us?"

"Classified," I muttered, glancing at the mind-reader irritatedly. Before I could think about the actual reason, I let my mind go blank, focusing on the sound and image of static to keep him at bay. They weren't getting any information out of me.

As I expected, they all turned to Edward to see what my alternate answer was. He growled in frustration.

"I don't know," he said angrily, glaring at me. The room was deadly silent.

"You don't know?" Carlisle repeated, slightly disbelieving. A small smile lit his face. "Interesting. Could she be a shield perhaps? It's not unlikely." He was staring at me in awe now, unlike Edward, who was staring at me like he wanted me to die in my seat.

What did he mean by a shield? Was that a talent to keep him from reading my mind? That was what the context implied. If that were true, I would have loved to be a 'shield.' It would make my life so much easier.

"No, I don't think so," Edward replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I can still read her mind, but… like I said, she already knows about my gift, so she seems to have a method of keeping things from me." His lips twitched wryly. "It's quite annoying." I smiled innocently, all too aware of the danger I was in. It wasn't very safe to taunt a vampire, especially when there were seven others in the room with him.

But were they _really_ dangerous? I mean, I hadn't seen them attack anyone yet, but at the same time, they had said Renesmee and Jacob were out hunting… The queasy feeling returned and I leaned back in my seat dizzily.

"I have a few questions for you as well," I said, my voice a little hoarse. I tried to clear my throat.

"She wants to know if we're dangerous," the mind-reader mused before I could speak again. "The thought of Nessie and Jacob hunting humans apparently seems repulsive to her." He smiled wickedly as another wave of nausea hit me and I grimaced.

'_Sadist,_' I thought. He chuckled darkly.

"Why should we answer any of your questions when you won't answer ours?" Rosalie demanded, her eyes like daggers.

"If you quench my curiosity, it's less likely that I'll come snooping around again," I replied calmly, meeting her gaze. "Of course, I suppose that depends on how you answer." She growled.

"Or we could just kill you now," Edward suggested lightly, "and avoid that process altogether." I glanced at him dully for a moment before turning back to Carlisle, who seemed to be the leader of their clan. I wished more than anything that I could see Edward's emotions, so I could see if he was bluffing or not, but I couldn't. They weren't getting any information out of me.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Emmett grinned and leaned forward threateningly. I examined him for a moment and smiled grimly. I could take him down easily, but I wasn't here to fight. I was here to protect.

"Please just tell me that the humans are safe," I begged. "I've had enough to deal with this week and the last thing I need is for a bunch of blood-suckers to go on a killing spree." I was surprised that none of them flinched at my phrasing. Most vampires would have literally killed me for that.

"We're used to it," Edward answered my unspoken question. "And as for our… eating habits, you don't have to worry. We only drink the blood of animals. We won't harm any of the humans in your town." I sighed in relief. That explained their strange eye color. But why did they live the way they did? Why were they in the middle of a human colony? Couldn't they still smell the blood? Wasn't it still alluring, somehow? I wasn't complaining, but I had so many questions still unanswered…

"We're not giving you our life story," he said coldly. "We obviously can't trust you. You already know too much about us, and infuriatingly, we know next to nothing about you."

"She's interfering with my visions," Alice muttered, staring at the floor angrily. What did she mean by that? What 'visions?'

"I don't see why Alice," Edward said matter-of-factly, a strange glint coming into his eye. "Obviously she's just a well-informed human." I frowned, slightly insulted. I was _not_ a human.

The mind-reader gave me a large smile, and I stared at him blankly for a moment before realizing what I had just done. My breath caught in my throat and I heard myself squeak. He wasn't trying to insult me; he was trying to get more information out of me. And I had fallen right into his trap.

"You got very lucky, vampire," I growled, my eyes narrowing. "But let me assure you, I will not let my guard down so easily again." He laughed humorlessly.

"If that was with your guard down, I'd hate to trick you with your guard up."

Before we could talk- well, argue- further, we heard the sound of a door opening on the other side of the house.

"Mom? Dad? Where is everyone?" Renesmee called.


End file.
